ai4bharat/Pralekha huggingface dataset:
Ministry of Finance
Cabinet approves Signing of the TOR provide tax assistance to Swaziland
The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved the Signing of Terms of Reference  governing the engagement of the designated Indian Expert to provide tax assistance to Swaziland  under the Tax Inspectors Without Borders Programme between India and Eswatini.
Point-wise details
- An Indian Expert has been mutually selected by the Government of India and the Government of the Kingdom of Eswatini under the TIWB programme.
- The Terms of Reference will formalize the conditions of the engagement of the designated Indian Expert to provide tax assistance to Eswatini under the TIWB Programme.
Major Impact
The engagement of the Indian Expert under the TiWB programme will give impetus to India's support in capacity building in tax matters in developing countries.
Background
The Tax Inspectors Without Borders  Programme which is jointly launched by UNDP and OECD is intended to support developing countries to strengthen national tax administrations through building audit capacity and to share this knowledge with other countries. The TIWB Programme aims to strengthen tax administrations of developing countries by transferring technical know-how and skills to their tax auditors, and through the sharing of general audit practices and dissemination of knowledge products with them. The TIWB Programme complements the efforts of the international community to strengthen cooperation on tax matters and contribute to domestic tax mobilisation efforts of developing countries. India has been supportive in capacity building in tax matters in developing countries. India being a global leader in this respect has a very important role to play in South-South Cooperation in tax matters.
Ministry of Finance
India-Japan hold Finance Dialogue in New Delhi
Mr. Masato Kanda, Vice Minister of Finance for International Affairs, Japan, and Mr. Ajay Seth, Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance, held the first India-Japan Finance Dialogue here today.
In view of the growing importance of India-Japan relations in recent years, the dialogue on India-Japan financial cooperation, which had been held at the level of Deputy Director-Generals, was upgraded to the level of Vice Minister/Secretary.
The Japanese delegation included the representatives from Ministry of Finance, Financial Services Agency, and financial institutions. From Indian side, the representatives from Ministry of Finance, Reserve Bank of India, Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India, Securities and Exchange Board of India, and financial institutions participated in the discussion.
The participants exchanged their views on the macroeconomic situation, financial system, financial digitalization and investment environment in both countries, and confirmed that both sides will continue to work closely together as they hold presidency of G20 and G7 next year. The participants including private financial institutions also discussed various financial regulation issues towards further expansion of investment in India.
Both sides agreed to continue discussions for further promoting financial cooperation and strengthening bilateral relations, and agreed to explore holding the next round of the Dialogue in Tokyo.
Ministry of Railways
New Catering Policy in Railways
New Catering Policy has been notified on 27th February, 2017 wherein with the objective to provide quality food to rail passengers, Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation Limited  has been mandated to unbundle catering services on trains by creating a distinction primarily between food preparation and food distribution. All four Base Kitchens under departmental operation of Zonal Railways , Mumbai Central  and Balharshah) and all kitchen units i.e. Refreshment Rooms at A1 and A category stations, Jan Ahaar, Cell Kitchens shall be handed over to IRCTC on ‘as is where is basis’.
In order to upgrade quality of catering services, IRCTC shall set up new kitchens and upgrade existing ones. These kitchens will be owned, operated and managed by IRCTC. IRCTC shall retain the ownership and shall be fully accountable for all the issues pertaining to setting up and operation of the Base Kitchens and quality of food.
In the first phase, unbundling of catering services is under implementation on Delhi – Mumbai Sector. Base kitchens & Jan Ahaars at CSTM and BCT have been taken over by IRCTC from Zonal Railways.
New Catering Policy, inter-alia, stipulates that IRCTC shall manage catering services on all mobile units, meals for which will be picked up from the nominated kitchens owned, operated and managed by IRCTC. Further, IRCTC will engage service providers from hospitality industry for service of food in trains by giving adequate emphasis on availability of regional cuisine all over Indian Railways.
As per new Catering Policy 2017, Menu and Tariff of food items will be fixed as follows:-  For Rajdhani/Shatabdi/Duronto trains and such other trains in which catering charges are inbuilt in the passenger fare, the menu shall be decided by IRCTC in consultation with Railway Board to make it commensurate with the tariff, which will be fixed by Railway Board.  For controlled segment items/standard menu/Janta Meals on units handed over to IRCTC, the menu shall be decided by IRCTC in consultation with Zonal Railways within the fixed tariff approved by Railway Board.  Menu and tariffs for Food Plaza, Food Courts and Fast Food units will be decided and fixed by IRCTC.
This Press Release is based on the information given by the Minister of State for Railways Shri Rajen Gohain in a written reply to a question in Lok Sabha on 19.07.2017 .
President's Secretariat
President of India in Srinagar; pays tributes at Chinar Corps  War Memorial on 20th Kargil Vijay Diwas
The President of India, Shri Ram Nath Kovind, paid his respects to soldiers and officers of the Indian Army who were martyred in the Kargil conflict of 1999 at the Chinar Corps  War Memorial in Srinagar today , on the 20th Kargil Vijay Diwas. This is the first visit of the President to Srinagar and to the Valley. On earlier visits to Jammu and Kashmir, he had visited the Ladakh and Jammu regions.
The President was scheduled to visit the Kargil War Memorial in Dras this morning, but the visit was called off due to inclement weather. Conditions were not suitable for air travel from Srinagar to Dras.
Ministry of Corporate Affairs
IBBI to celebrate its Sixth Annual Day tomorrow
The Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India  is celebrating its Sixth Annual Day on 1st October, 2022. Union Minister for Finance and Minister of Corporate Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman, Affairs will grace the occasion as the Chief Guest and Shri Rao Inderjit Singh, Union Minister of State  of Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation; Union Minister of State  of Ministry of Planning; and Union Minister of State in the Ministry of Corporate Affairs, will be the Guest of Honour.
In order to commemorate the establishment of the IBBI, it has instituted an Annual Day Lecture Series. Chief Justice  Shri Ramalingam Sudhakar, President, National Company Law Tribunal and Shri Ashok Kumar Gupta, Chairperson, Competition Commission of India will be delivering the Annual Day Lecture this year.
To mark the occasion, an annual publication, “IBC: Idea, Impressions and Implementation” will also be released.
Senior officers of the Government and regulatory bodies will grace the occasion. The occasion will witness the presence of stakeholders of the insolvency regime, namely, the insolvency professionals, registered values, other professionals, debtors, creditors, business leaders, academicians, and researchers.
About IBBI and IBC
The Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India , being responsible for implementation of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code , 2016, aims for reorganisation and insolvency resolution of corporate persons, partnership firms and individuals in a time bound manner for maximization of the value of assets, to promote entrepreneurship, availability of credit and balance the interests of all the stakeholders.
The IBC has created a strong ecosystem in insolvency regime which is expanding in terms of number of service providers and number of cases using the IBC as rescue mechanism for distressed firms. The IBC has rescued 1,934 CDs  till June 2022. In value terms, around 69% of distressed assets which entered the process under the IBC have been resolved.
Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports
Shri Kiren Rijiju to hold 2-day video conference with Sports and Youth Affairs ministers of all states/ UTs
Union Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports Shri Kiren Rijiju will be meeting Sports and Youth affairs ministers of all states and union territories in a two-day video conference on July 14 and July 15, to chart out the roadmap for grassroot-level sports development as well as the activities of Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan  and National Service Scheme , across the country.
Speaking about the decision to hold this meeting, Shri Rijiju said, “The country is in the second phase of unlock now and it is important to have a dialogue with the states to align the way forward for sports and youth related activities. During the lockdown both the sports and youth affairs departmentshave been active and continued to pursue the larger goals that have been set. Despite closure of on-field training, online training has been conducted for athletes of all levels as well as for coaches, so that athletes and coaches could remain close to the sport. Similarly, our NYKS and NSS volunteers have worked relentlessly alongside district administration to help in the fight against Covid 19. About 75 lakh volunteers have been involved in creating awareness about safety and health guidelines, distribution of masks, helping the elderly among many other things. We want to assess the impact of all these activities and also plan the way forward, in collaboration with the states.”
The agenda of the meeting includes review of action taken during Covid 19, as well as discussions on restarting sporting activities at the state-level and identification of budding sports talent through competitions at block and district levels in states and UTs. Inclusion of fitness and sports as part of the curriculum in all schools across the country will also be discussed. Plans to conduct Khelo India events and Youth Festivals later this year or early next year will be decided.
“Strengthening of the sports ecosystem at the grassroot level is crucial if we want to realise the dream of making India one of the Top 10 countries at the Olympic podium in 2028, and we must start that process now. The Sports Ministry has already decided to set up Khelo India State Center of Excellence  in all states and UTs. Further, 1000 Khelo India Centers  are to be set up at the district level to enable local talent to be identified and trained in 14 identified Olympic sport and traditional sports. Both the KISCEs and KICs will strengthen the grassroot-level sports ecosystem in India in a big way, and states have a big role to play in it. Also, the One State, One Sport policy that the government has made needs to be discussed and implemented early. We hope to exchange ideas with all states to ensure that there is one collaborative roadmap towards making India a sporting superpower,” Shri. Rijiju added.
The states have been divided into two groups over the two days to allow every state time to discuss the various issues at the meeting.
Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas
Petroleum Minister inaugurates Rs 220 Crore Seismic Survey Campaign in Mahanadi Basin in Odisha, says commercial production of oil and gas from Mahanadi basin will be a game changer in the socio-economic development of Odisha
Shri Dharmendra Pradhan, Hon’ble Minister of Petroleum & Natural Gas and Steel, inaugurated the seismic survey campaign of Oil India Limited , India’s second largest National Exploration & Production Company, at Kakatpur in Puri District, Odisha in the Mahanadi Basin .
Speaking on the occasion, Minister Pradhan said, “It is a matter of great personal pride for me. OALP is not a mere policy anymore but is something which is translating into reality on ground. Activities under OALP are gaining steam and garnering immense interest from the industry. We recently signed contract for E&P blocks awarded under OALP bid round-V. Today’s inauguration is an important chapter in the activities around OALP. This will be a major milestone in establishing Mahanadi as a hub of E&P operations and building hydrocarbon reserves in line with PM Modi’s vision of Aatmanirbhar Bharat. Commercial production of oil and gas from Mahanadi basin will be a game changer in the socio-economic development of Odisha.”
“Oil and gas activities started in 1980s in Odisha. With new approach, state-of-the-art technology and Mahaprabhu Jagannath’s blessings, we are confident that we will get success in the seismic campaign launched today in Odisha”, he further added.
Government of India since 2014 has launched a number of policy reforms in hydrocarbon E&P sector, chief among them being Open Acreage Licensing Policy . The Government also is implementing the National Seismic Programme  for appraising unappraised areas of Indian sedimentary basins. Seismic data acquired under NSP in the state of Odisha led to offer of five blocks by DGH and OIL won all the five blocks for hydrocarbon exploration under OALP-II and III rounds.
OIL plans to acquire, process and interpret 1502 LKM of 2D seismic data and 1670 Sq Km of 3D seismic data in the five blocks. Interpretation of the data is envisaged to lead to an extensive exploratory drilling campaign, in quest of establishing hydrocarbon reserves in line with the vision of Hon’ble Prime Minister of Atmanirbhar Bharat. The total envisaged expenditure on the entire exploration campaign in the five blocks in Mahanadi Basin  is Rs. 1248.00 Crores of which Rs. 220.00 Crores is for Seismic survey. The blocks are spread in eleven districts of Odisha namely Puri, Khurda, Cuttack, Jagatsingpur, Kendrapara, Dhenkanal, Jajpur, Bhadrak, Baleshore, Maurbhanj and Keonjhar.
Ministry of Food Processing Industries
Setting Up of Small-Scale Food Processing Units at Farm Level
Ministry of Food Processing Industries  is implementing Central Sector umbrella scheme- Pradhan Mantri Kisan Sampada Yojana  since 2016-17 for overall growth and development of food processing sector, including cereals, oilseeds, vegetables & fruits based processing industries. Under its component schemes, MoFPI provides credit linked financial assistance  in the form of grants-in-aid to entrepreneurs for setting up of food processing / preservation industries with farm level infrastructure like primary processing facilities, collection centers etc. So far, a total of 292 Food Processing Units have been approved for assistance under component scheme Creation/Expansion of Food Processing & Preservation Capacities. Also,a total of 124Primary Processing Centres with Dry Warehouse capacity of 116450 MT, ColdStorage capacity of 56520 MT and deep freezer capacity of 1750 MT have been approved as part of Mega Food Park projects.
The Government has announced expansion of scope of “Operation Greens Scheme” from Tomato, Onion & Potato  to 22 perishable products, in the budget speech for 2021-2022, so as to boost value addition in these perishables. Ministry has identified these 22 perishables, which include Mango, Banana, Apple, Pineapple, Carrot, Cauliflower, Beans etc.
This information was given by Minister of State for M/o Food Processing Industries, Shri Prahlad Singh Patel in a written reply in Rajya Sabha today.
Ministry of Education
The Ministry of Education to celebrate ‘Janjatiya Gaurav Diwas’ in a grand manner in the schools and higher educational institutions across the country
Celebrations to inspire the future generations acknowledge their sacrifices of the tribal freedom fighters for the country
15th November is the birth anniversary of Birsa Munda who is revered as Bhagwan by tribal communities across the country
The Ministry of Education under the leadership of Union Education and Skill Development & Entrepreneurship Minister Shri Dharmendra Pradhan will be celebrating ‘Janjatiya Gaurav Diwas’ in a grand manner in the schools, skill and higher educational institutions across the country.
Last year, the Government had declared 15th November as ‘Janjatiya Gaurav Divas’ dedicated to the memory of brave tribal freedom fighters. 15th November is the birth anniversary of Birsa Munda who is revered as Bhagwan by tribal communities across the country. Birsa Munda was an iconic freedom fighter, social reformer and revered tribal leader of the country, who fought bravely against the exploitative system of the British colonial government, and became a legendary figure in his lifetime, often referred to as ‘Bhagwan’. He organized and led the tribal movement, giving a call for “Ulgulan”  to the tribals. He encouraged tribals to understand their cultural roots and observe unity.
To commemorate the contribution of the tribal freedom fighters, the Ministry of Education in association with the AICTE, UGC, Central Universities, Private Universities, other HEIs, CBSE, KVS, NVS and Skilling institutions is celebrating ‘JanjatiyaGaurav Divas'. The nationwide celebrations of JanjatiyaGaurav Divas will witness a large number of programmes such as debate competition on the theme ‘Contribution of Janjati Heroes in freedom struggle’, social activities, etcin the educational institutions across the country.The contributions of brave tribal leaders like Bhagwan Birsa Munda and others will be highlighted during these celebrations.The students will also be felicitated for the good work.
These celebrations will inspire the future generations acknowledge their sacrifices of the tribal freedom fighters for the country, take forward their legacy and the conservation of tribal culture, art and rich tribal heritage.
Ministry of Road Transport & Highways
FASTag Rollout Picking up pace, daily usage increases
With the implementation of Electronic Toll Collection through FASTag from 15th December this year, sale of FASTags has picked up substantially. Over 1.15 Crore FASTags have already been issued, with more than 1 lakh being issued every day. FASTag provides smooth journey to commuters through toll plazas on National Highways. It has proved to be instrumental as a fast and convenient tool on the highways that upholds the true essence of digital India.
With the concerted efforts of field officers and diligent monitoring at HQ level to resolve all the teething issues, NHAI is setting new milestones every day in FASTag transaction at toll plazas on National Highways. With the transaction number crossing 30 lakh, the daily transactional worth of Electronic Toll Collection has crossed Rs 52 crore.
Easy to adapt FASTag has already made a positive impression in the mind of the smart NH commuters helping to reduce bottlenecks on toll plazas and ensure seamless movement of traffic. In order to simplify the recharge of FASTag, the Government of India has recently included BHIM UPI app amongst many other modes of recharge. It has resolved the issue of recharge of FASTag through any of the UPI registered banks.
Implementation of FASTag is one step in the direction of providing safe, smooth and seamless journey to commuters on National Highways.
Ministry of Science & Technology
Study shows significant reduction of heavy metal pollution during COVID-19 pandemicin the Ganga water
Efforts to minimize industrial wastewater can substantially reduce heavy metal pollution in the Ganga water in a short time span of a few months, a study carried out during the COVID-19 pandemic has shown.
The COVID-19 pandemic lockdown provided a team of scientists from Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur a rare opportunity to quantify the impact of restricted anthropogenic activities on the water chemistry resilience of large rivers.
They analyzed the daily geochemical record of the Ganga River and showed that reduced industrial discharge during 51 days of mandated nationwide lockdown decreased the dissolved heavy metal concentrations by a minimum of 50%. In contrast, inputs from agricultural runoff and domestic sewage like nitrate and phosphate remained almost the same as these sources were not impacted by the nationwide confinement.
The research is supported by the Indo-U.S. Science and Technology Forum , a bilateral organization under the Department of Science and Technology , Government of India and U.S. Department of States, and recently published by ‘Environmental Science and Technology Letters’, showed the high resilience of dissolved heavy metals.
The study, which adds to the body of research world’s large rivers have been intensely studied to better understand the impact of climate change and direct human interventions on river water quality and quantity has found pace in the cover page of the journal.
Figure: Photographs shot at downstream locations in the plains during the research work
[Publication link: https://pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10.1021/acs.estlett.0c00982
For more details, Indra S. Sen  can be contacted.]
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
Mechanism to Monitor Private Medical Colleges
With the enactment of IMC Amendment Act, 2016 to introduce NEET, MCI with prior approval of the Central Government has amended Graduate Medical Education Regulations, 1997, and Post-Graduate Medical Education Regulations, 2000, for making provisions of common counseling. All the admissions in medical courses will be through NEET and common counselling. Admission details are sent to the MCI after counseling.
In the case of Government medical colleges, the respective State Governments are responsible for fixation of fee and in the case of private unaided medical colleges, the fee structure is decided by the Committee set up by the respective State Government under the Chairmanship of a retired High Court Judge in pursuance of the directions of the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India. It is for the Committee to decide whether the fee proposed by an Institute is justified and the fee fixed by the Committee is binding on the Institute.
Further, the Hon’ble Supreme Court in its order dated 09.05.2017 had directed that the students who secure admission in MBBS course pursuant to the common counseling shall deposit with the counseling committee the demand draft towards the fee payable to the Institutions / colleges / Universities. Admission details are sent to MCI after counseling. MCI scrutinizes the details and issues discharge notices if students are admitted in the Medical Colleges in violation of regulations. With a view to make students aware, MCI has hosted details regarding grant of permission for courses run by Medical Colleges in its website. Advisories to the students are also posted on MCI website.
The Minister of State , Sh Faggan Singh Kulaste stated this in a written reply in the Lok Sabha here today.
Ministry of Food Processing Industries
LAW REGARDING FOOD PROCESSING
In order to reduce multiplicity and consolidate various laws related to food industry, as well as to establish the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India , the Government has enacted the ‘Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006’ in the year 2006. This Act lays down science-based standards for articles of food and for regulating their manufacture, storage, distribution, sale and import, for ensuring availability of safe and wholesome food for human consumption. This Act amalgamated Prevention of FoodAdulteration Act, 1954 and various other food related orders regulated by different Ministries and Departments, into one integrated legislative framework.
Also, as part of Ease of Doing Business, the Government of India has launched an online portal “National Single Window System ” in September 2021, for investors and businesses including food processing industry/businesses. This online system is a onestop-shop for approvals & clearances from many Departments of Central and State Governments.
This information was given by Minister of State for M/o Food Processing Industries, Shri Prahlad Singh Patel in a written reply in Lok Sabha today